Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Prune Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the prunes
Wash and pick over the prunes.
Soak the prunes in cold water for two hours.
Cook the prunes in the same water until soft, allowing the water to nearly evaporate.
Remove the stones from the prunes. Cut the prunes into small pieces.
Sprinkle the pruned pieces with sugar.
Make and bake the pudding
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Gradually fold the beaten egg whites into the prunes.
Pour the mixture into a lightly buttered pudding dish.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for twenty-five minutes.
Chill and serve
Chill the pudding.
Serve with custard sauce or sweetened whipped cream.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Prunes
- Cooked until soft, they form the body and sweet, fruity flavor of the pudding.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the prunes and adds moisture that helps them soften and blend.
- Egg whites
- Whipped until stiff, they trap air and give the pudding its light, set structure.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air that gives the pudding lift. Stirring them in harshly or gradually deflating them makes the pudding dense, so fold gently and gradually.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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